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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. ground — the earth
  3. track — to keep track
  4. file — a tool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. swing — to play on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wake — a trail
  10. file — a document
  11. ground — a position
  12. track — a song
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. swing — in golf
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. swing — music
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. row — a line
  23. ground — crushed
  24. track — a path

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com